Quoth the Raven
by Obsydien
Summary: Clawdeen is on the verge of high school seniority, but she must first make it through the summer and Camp Nevermoor. Normally, it would be a simple two month adventure with old friends, but recent feelings may leave the werewolf wallowing in a silence she doesn't believe most of her friends will understand. And is will only get more difficult if that silence is broken.
1. Chapter 1

"Can you believe it?" came the voice of a certain regal mummy, "Two whole months cooped up in a cabin in the _wilderness_!" She shuddered.

"Oh Cleo, I'm sure it won't be that bad. We'll get to learn about nature and everything that lives there!" The pink skinned vampire tried to assure her.

Cleo murmured and crossed her arms, letting her body sink down into her bus seat.

"But I won't be able to see Deucey as often as I want," she pouted, referring to her gorgon boyfriend.

Clawdeen rolled golden hues and shook her head. "You act as though you two are gonna be a thousand miles away. They boys are gonna be right across the lake."

"That might as well be a thousand miles!"

The werewolf scoffed and returned her attention to the scenery outside of the window. Frankie's voice faded to a droning buzz as her mind began to wander. She heard her mention something about high school and seniors, but she wasn't paying too much attention. The thought of spending two months in a small cabin with some of her closest friends didn't really seem to bother the werewolf. Despite having known most of them for years, it wasn't until recently that she had begun to notice just how beautiful and attractive her friends were. She'd never noticed just how curvy Draculaura was, or how full Frankie's lips were, or just how firm Cleo's a-

The bus jolting to a stop tore the werewolf from her thoughts. She, along with most of the other ghouls on the bus, thought that the stop they had last made was their final one. She watched the door to the brick, one story home open and almost instantly did her jaw drop. Standing at five foot eight, sporting shoulder length onyx tresses and bright emerald hues which now seemed to be protected by a pair of black glasses, was one of Clawdeen's newer friends, Cerena Berus.

The hellhound called back to someone inside before closing the door and looking to the bus. She hefted a fairly large bag onto her shoulders and began walking towards the vehicle. She was tall, but by no means was she scrawny. Clawdeen could see every lean muscle in her arms and torso working together beneath her shirt. The bus driver hopped off and met her outside the doors to help her store her bag in the compartment. Once she was settled, she followed the bus driver on board. Almost immediately, her ears twitched and perked to the cacophony of squeals that filled the air. She looked to the back of the bus and immediately her heart leapt. The familiar faces of her old friends assaulted her eyes. Pearly white teeth showed themselves in a wide smile as she practically ran to the six pairs of arms waiting for her at the back of the bus. She melted in the warm embrace of the six girls as they all greeted her.

Once they had all settled down and Cerena was comfortably seated beside Clawdeen, the catching up started.

"What have you been doing since you left?" Lagoona asked, eyes wide with curiosity as strong as the rest of them.

Cerena brushed her bangs from her face and leaned back into the seat. She rested her arms behind her head and rolled her shoulders. "Honestly, not anything nearly as interesting as when I was with you all at Monster High."

Back when she was a freshman, her mother had enrolled her in Monster High after numerous complaints from other schools. Despite it being the middle of the year, her mother convinced her that this school would truly be good for her. During the first day, she had met Clawdeen, Frankie, Draculaura, Lagoona, Cleo and Ghoulia. In the week that followed, the girls had become almost inseparable. She and Clawdeen formed the strongest bond. At the end of her sophomore year, she had to move away to stay with and help her uncle since his old battle wounds were acting up and he wouldn't be able to take care of his home and duties by himself. While she was staying with him, she was able to attend school and finish her junior year at a school near where she was staying.

"And at some point while I was staying with him, he found a lady friend and things got serious between them. With the help of us both, my uncle Orthrus was able to get back on his feet by the end of the school year and told my parents that I could come home when I wanted." She chuckled. "I took the first opportunity I could to come back. After this summer, I'm gonna finish my senior year at Monster High with you guys!"

They all cheered, glad that they would be walking out of Monster High together. When they finally quieted themselves, Cleo leaned into Cerena with a playful smirk on her lips.

"So, did you find a handsome young monster while you were away?"

Cerena's eyes widened as she noticed the others looking at her expectantly. She scoffed loudly and lightly pushed Cleo away.

"Me? Please. As soon as I mention the other sides of me, they're either totally confused and I have to spend the rest of the time explaining myself, or they pretend to get it but are still just as dense. Either way, there wasn't a second date. Ah well. Not something I need to stress myself with." Her eyes trailed to Clawdeen. Leaning in, she laid herself across the werewolf's lap, legs crossed in the aisle at the ankles. "And what about _you _miss thing?"

Clawdeen's cheeks burned slightly at the smirk her friend was giving her. She met her gaze and was able to make out just the smallest hints of possession. Or maybe she was imagining it. She stuck the tip of her tongue out and quickly reached to muss the hellhound's hair. She giggled as Cerena flailed and sat up.

"If you must know, I'm still a lone wolf looking for someone really worth the time. I had a few dates here and there but they never really led to anything."

The ravennette eyed the brunnette as she fixed her hair. She hmm'ed quietly before flipping her hair and deciding to leave it as is.

"Still? Ahh, doesn't surprise me. Not too many guys can handle someone as fierce as you." They shared a fist bump and a laugh before Cerena asked the others about their own relationships. She was elated to hear that everyone's relationships were still stronger than ever. It did surprise her to hear that Draculaura and Clawd would be moving in together sometime before their senior year ended but she congratulated her all the same.

The ride to the camp was a long one spent mostly catching up or sleeping. Clawdeen was busy reading a book when she felt Cerena slump over. Her head fell to rest on her shoulder. The werewolf glanced to the other occupants of the bus. When she decided they were all either asleep or not paying attention to her, she carefully shifted her arm to wrap around the slightly taller ghoul. She guided Cerena's head to rest against her neck, allowing her to settle her head atop the hellhound's. She felt her lips pull into a light smile. Cerena smelled like cinnamon. Clawdeen carefully curled up in the seat and went back to reading her book, slender fingers gently scratching behind one of Cerena's ears. Occasionally she would feel Cerena shift, but she never woke up.

* * *

><p>After what seemed like an eternity, the bus finally pulled up to a wooden archway with the words <em>Camp Nevermoor <em>elegantly carved into the wooden banner. Intricate designs and patterns lined the poles. The bus driver turned to alert and rouse the girls.

"Wake up girls! We've arrived at Camp Nevermoor! Get up and file out!"

She honked her horn to startle awake the heavier sleepers. She chuckled to herself at the jolted gasps and light yelps she heard.

Amid the grumbling, Cerena blinked her eyes open slowly and yawned. The sound of a quiet, Brooklyn accented voice tickled her eardrums.

"Hey, we're here. Time to get up."

She turned to come face to face with a warmly smiling werewolf. Her cheeks brightened slightly and for a moment, her awakening brain forgot how to work. This prompted her to splutter, "Warmthnnicemmm…" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again, now able to see Clawdeen far more clearly. Her ears perked at the sound of the brunnette's laugh. The sound was rich and full.

Once Clawdeen's laughter had died down, she coaxed the hellhound into a stand then playfully poked her off the bus. Only when they were out and able to properly stretch their legs did Cerena whip around and grab Clawdeen's hand. Her lips were pulled into a dark, playful grin. Crimson illuminated her eyes.

"If you poke me one more time…" the femininely gruff voice mockingly threatened.

"You'll what?" Clawdeen challenged. Her golden eyes smoldered slightly.

Though she couldn't be too sure, the hellhound felt as though those two simple words were the smallest bit… Seductive. Cerena, managing to fight the blush from creeping onto her cheeks, narrowed her eyes and smirked, face leaning into Clawdeen's.

"Test me, Clawdeen. I dare you." Her voice was a low rumble.

The werewolf took a step back, fully aware that her back would be pressed against the side of the bus. A soft growl was ready to escape from her throat, but their moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door closing and a voice with an irritatingly familiar purr behind it.

"Why don't you two love pups get a room? Preferably one far away from me."

Both Clawdeen and Cerena looked to see a red head emerge from the car. Dark stripes decorated her fringe. She was followed by a pair most people assumed were twins.

The hellhound glared as Toralei, Purrsephone and Meowlody walked towards the group. Her eyes flashed as she walked forward to meet the orange furred werefeline. Her arms crossed and she made no attempt to hide the frown on her face.

"If it isn't everyone's favorite little nuisance. I can see that you haven't changed much." Cerena allowed her eyes to subtly roam Toralei's body. While she would have hated to admit it, Toralei kept her body in amazing shape in the time she'd been gone. A mental grumble wafted through her mind. In the background, she caught sight of a large, male werecat circling around to the trunk, undoubtedly her father retrieving her bag. With a roll of her eyes, she returned her attention to the red head. "You all think you're too good to ride the bus with the rest of us?"

Toralei giggled. The sound of the twins snickering behind her reached everyone's ears. "You silly puppy. Those with true regality don't ride the bus." Her green eyes darted quickly to Cleo. The sight of the Egyptian scowling caused a smirk to grace her lips. "Remember that." With that, she patted Cerena's cheek before turning on heel and sauntering towards the main building directly behind the arch with Purrsephone and Meowlody in tow. She was lucky. Cerena's snapping jaw just barely missed her hand.

The hellhound growled loudly, tail swaying back and forth irritatedly. Bright crimson eyes darted to the side when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The green stitch working told her it was Frankie. She turned to look to the shorter girl.

"Don't let her get to you. A few years may have passed, but she's still Toralei. She's only trying to wind you up, that's all."

The ravennette grumbled and reached up to lightly pat Frankie's hand.

"Yeah. Yeah alright." She turned on heal and walked to retrieve her bag. Once she turned back to her friends, her eyes were their normal, emerald coloration. "How about we get started hm? I'm eager to find out who I'll be bunking with for the next eight weeks."

A round of agreeing voices followed her statement. Within moments, all of the girls had their bags and were walking towards the main building.

As they walked, Cerena wrapped her tail around her waist and thought back to mere minutes ago. How close she was to Clawdeen. She could smell the Brittney Gears sugar and spice perfume on the werewolf. The look in her eyes… Cerena quivered slightly. The tone of her voice… Had she imagined that? Her eyes subtly fell on the werewolf. They studied her. Was there more to Clawdeen than she let on? Cerena desperately wanted to find out.

Once the second bus arrived, the main building was full of teenage girls talking amongst themselves. The wall clock read 7:21. Cerena was excited to see that more familiar faces had arrived to the camp, including Avia, Sirena, Robecca, Venus and others. The girls all had a little while to talk and those that didn't know each other briefly got to. A sudden, shrill whistle like shriek filled the air and quieted the room quickly. All eyes turned to the front of the room to fall on a tall slender woman. She looked to be in her late thirties. Her tawny shaded feather like hair flowed down to her behind. Lining slim arms were large wings that were a lightly brighter shade than her hair. Her eyes scanned the room. Clutched between sharp, talon-like nails was a clipboard which held the names of every girl that was to be attending the camp. Her legs were covered by a pair of forest green shorts and her torso was clad in a grey and green fitted t-shirt, bearing the camp's name and logo. On the sides of the room, each seated at a fairly long table, were six younger looking ghouls in similar attire. Cardboard boxes of varying sizes rested behind them.

"Well. This year looks like it brought some girls ready to get down and have fun in nature." She paced at the front of the room. "I see many new faces as well as a few familiar ones. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Adriana Harpy. I am the head of Camp Nevermoor and you will all address me as 'Ms. Harpy' or 'Ma'am'. Understood?" She looked to the large group of girls so quickly and sharply that a few of them gasped in alarm. She didn't really wait for a true response before she continued. "These are your camp counselors." She motioned to the younger females. As they waved to the teens, she spoke on. "We do like to have fun here at Nevermoor, but there is a very low tolerance for those who don't like to follow the rules." She paused very briefly to let her sharp eyes fall on Toralei and a few other girls. "First off, there are to be no electronics of any kind here. If you are caught with them, they will be taken immediately and sent back to your residence." The grumbles and outcries were swiftly silenced by a shrill chirp. "Second, no camper is to be out of their cabins after 10:30 at night unless there is a schedule event between the camps, which leads me to my next point." She turned to face the girls. Her expression was set in a deathly serious glare. "There is to be _no_ unsupervised contact with the boys from across the lake. No crossing the lake to enter their camp and by no means are you to have a boy in your cabin. If you're caught, you, said boy and any accomplices will be severely reprimanded." Her feathers bristled. "Is that clear?" Adriana's nails tapped at the clipboard at the resounding confirmations from the room. The harpy nodded and looked to her clipboard. "Very good then! Now that that is out of the way, you all will be assigned your cabins and your colors. Those of you with the last names beginning with A through L will go to the left side of the room. Those of you with M through Z will go to the right."

The girls once again began chattering amongst themselves as they stood. Clawdeen looked to Cerena and lifted on side of her mouth in something of a smile. "Hope we get the same cabin." With that, she lifted one of her hands.

The hellhound quickly responded by swinging her own hand up to firmly grasp Clawdeen's. "So do I. If not though, I look forward to kicking your butt this summer." A playful smirk graced her lips.

Golden eyes rolled and a chuckle fell from her mouth as they both tensed their arms and pulled each other into a hug that seemed to linger longer than it probably should have. Once they finally pulled away from each other, Cerena watched Clawdeen walk to stand in line near Draculaura and Frankie. The girls all gripped hands and pulled close to each other in a way that only years of best friendom could have honed. The hellhound turned away and jammed her hands in her pockets. Her eyes trailed to the ground and her brows furrowed slightly in thought as she stood in one of the lines. She truly hoped that she would get the chance to be close to Clawdeen this summer. The werewolf came to be a true friend in the time that she had gotten to know her. Hell, all of them became some of the closest friends she had ever had. A soft smile pulled at her lips. She particularly enjoyed Draculaura's polite way of trying to cheer up a saddened friend and Frankie's words of inspiration. Her tail coiled around her waist and her ears lowered to her head. Maybe she could talk to one of them. She laughed to herself. Yeah. That'll happen.

* * *

><p>Cerena laid on the top bunk of her cabin with her eyes closed and her head resting on her arms. Her tail flopped in time to the melody flowing through her wireless headset. A neon orange bandana was tied around her right bicep. Her cabin mates had yet to show up so she figured she would quickly claim her spot. She had already packed her clothing away and her bag was stuffed underneath the bunk. She mumbled the along to the words flowing into her ears, unaware of the cabin door opening. She exhaled slowly and rolled onto her side. Feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she peeked an eye open to see a pair of bright golden hues staring right back. She flailed and jolted up into a sit. She tore the headphones from her ears in time to hear Clawdeen laughing heartily.<p>

"You should have seen the look on your face!"

The ravennette glared and crouched atop her bunk. With a swift lunge, she leapt to the floor and quickly turned, pinning Clawdeen to the bottom bunk. Her tail whipped back and forth behind her.

"You see the look on my face now?" Her eyes narrowed, but it was clear that she was trying her hardest to keep the smile from her lips.

The werewolf smirked and playfully arched a leg up to brush along Cerena's hip. The sight of the sudden facial expression changed caused the shorter ghoul to giggle.

"You're looking kind of flustered."

The air around them slowly charged. Cerena gasped quietly and averted her eyes for a moment, only to quickly meet the golden gaze again and huff. Her voice was a low rumble as she moved her face closer to Clawdeen's.

"Yeah, I wonder why."

A slight growl formed in Clawdeen's throat when she felt the scaly smoothness of Cerena's tail begin to coil around one of her legs. This felt nice. It felt right.

Challenge and something else smoldered behind the eyes of both girls, but a jiggling knob soon tore them from their moment. Cerena looked to the door then stole another glance to Clawdeen before pulling away from her. She gasped loudly a feigned a loud laugh just as Cleo walked in through the door.

"That was _really _funny, oh oh hey Cleo! I see you're here with us."

The regal mummy nodded and tossed her bag onto the top bunk. "While I don't mind staying with my friends, I wish that they had somewhere a little less… Rustic and log cabin-y. And those outfits they gave us." She shuddered. "So gaudy."

She was about to open her mouth when the door opened revealing their final cabin mate. Cleo wasted no time in groaning loudly.

"Of all the people here, they had to put _you _in our cabin?"

A scowl crossed the redheaded werecat's face followed by a scoff.

"As if I asked to be here. Might as well get used to me sweetie. Looks like we're stuck together for the entire summer."

"And why is that?" Cerena asked, eyes narrowed.

Toralei sauntered into the cabin and tossed her own bag onto the top bunk near Cleo's.

"Because Harpy's word is law. I asked and she said that the people you're placed with are your cabin and teammates for the whole stint."

Before Cerena could respond, Cleo stepped forward and moved Toralei's bag to the bottom bunk. This quickly dissolved into the two girls arguing over who gets which bunk. Cerena moved her glasses up to pinch at the bridge of her nose before sighing and taking a seat next to Clawdeen on her bunk. The warm sensation she felt because of her lycan friend had dissipated as soon as Toralei walked in.

"Looks like it's gonna be a real interesting summer, hm?" Clawdeen asked as she watched Toralei and Cleo arguing.

Cerena bobbed her head in a nod and groaned as she flopped back onto Clawdeen's bed.

"Interesting and long."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Hey readers. Alright! I've decided that when Cerena is having mental conversations with her other sides, red eyed Cerena's (the right head) text will be 'bold'. Green eyed Cerena's (default middle head) text will be **_'normally typed'_**. Blue eyed Cerena's (the left head) text will be **__'italicized'__**. Flashbacks, whether interjected or written out, will also be italicized but lack the ' ' marks. If there's any confusion whatsoever, do not hesitate to message me or ask. Thank you for your continued reading and understanding~**_

* * *

><p>A groan came from the lips of the sleepy hellhound as she pushed into a sit. She reached up to scratch at shaggy black tresses. She stifled a loud yawn before blinking the sleep from her eyes. What time was it? It didn't matter. She figured she had woken up before the camp's wakeup call however. The emerald hues trailed over to the bunk opposite hers. Cleo was curled up comfortably under a plush blanket on the top bunk. At some point during their argument the other day, Cleo had managed to usurp the top bunk from the werefeline. She glanced down to Toralei, who was purring softly in her sleep. She seemed content for the moment, but she was far easier to tolerate when she was sleeping. Cerena grumbled quietly and raised her arms above her head. She had to contain the moan that threatened to escape as she stretched. She clenched her jaw as her joints popped in the oh so satisfying manner that stretching brings.<p>

Once she felt like she was well enough awake, she pushed her blanket away from her body and crawled down from the top of the bunk. As she took the time to fix her hair, she couldn't help but steal a glance to the sleeping werewolf. Even when sleeping, she somehow managed to be gorgeous. Her mouth hung open slightly and her auburn curls partially shaded her face. Cerena smiled softly and used her dexterous tail to carefully pull the blanket up to further warm Clawdeen. The way she murmured and snuggled up sent chills down the hellhound's spine. For a fleeting moment, she imagined herself being what Clawdeen curled up to while she slept. Her ears twitched slightly and she watched her friend for a moment longer before stepping over to the dresser where her clothes were located. She quickly changed out of her sleeping clothes and instead donned a short pair of swim trunks and a sports bra like swim top. After grabbing a towel from the small cabinet, Cerena silently opened the cabin door and snuck out to the lake.

* * *

><p>"Mmm!" Cerena cooed as she bobbed her head above the water. She brushed her sopping bangs from her face and sighed happily. Using her tail as something of a rudder, she gently propelled herself about as she floated on her back. She remembered back when she first came to Nevermoor years ago. She loved waking up before the call and going for a quick swim. Her ears twitched slightly. She particularly loved the mornings when Clawdeen was able to join her.<p>

**'When are you gonna admit to yourself that you like her?' **her red eyed side mentally asked, somewhat snarkily.

'You already know I like her,' she responded wearily. Again with this.

_'Of course she knows that. She likes Clawdeen, and so do I. What she means is, why are you more in denial about it than either of us?' _Her blue eyed side interjected.

Cerena's eyebrows furrowed and a growl caught in her throat. 'I'm not in denial about anything! It's just… Not that easy to come out and tell her I like her.' Cerena's lower lip poked out slightly.

**'What are you talking about? Of course it is! Hell, I could easily come out and tell her, but for whatever reason, Blue refuses to let me.'**

_'Subtlety isn't exactly your strong suit…'_

**'Fuck subtlety. Subtlety doesn't get you what you want.'**

Cerena chuckled at the sigh her blue eyed side made. 'Listen,' she told them, 'I'll tell Clawdeen how I feel when the time is right, okay?'

Her response was a grunt from her red eyed "right head" and a supportive 'okay' from her blue eyed "left head". With that, she took a deep breath and curled back to disappear beneath the cool water.

* * *

><p>The ravennette made it back to her cabin just as the morning bugle sounded over the camp's speakers. Adriana's shrill voice soon followed, warning the girls that they all had twenty minutes to be showered and prepared to meet her at the entrance of the forest's trail. Cerena suppressed a giggle at the sound of the groans filling the cabin. Toralei hissed and rolled over. Cleo pulled her pillow over her face and mumbled a curse in Egyptian. Clawdeen growled and pulled the blanket over her head. Cerena smirked and padded over to the werewolf. She knelt and wriggled her tail beneath the covers before shouting, "Oh my Ghoul Clawdeen! There's a snake in your bed!"<p>

That was enough to provoke the reaction she was hoping for. With a laugh, she hurriedly scrambled over to her dresser as Clawdeen yelled and fumbled clumsily beneath her blanket. She crossed her arms and trailed her eyes over to see Toralei's tail twitching irritatedly beneath her blanket and Cleo finally sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She was mildly disappointed that neither of them really reacted, though she figured as much. With Deuce as her boyfriend, Cleo was able to handle snakes with relative ease. Toralei was a cat, a werebeast, but a cat nonetheless. She'd toy with the poor animal. When her eyes returned to Clawdeen, she was met with a golden glare.

"What?" Cerena asked, feigning innocence.

Clawdeen growled and pushed the blanket aside. In an instant, she was standing and stalking towards Cerena.

Cerena's eyes widened and she threw up her hands defensively.

"Clawdeen. Wait. We can talk about this. Itwasjustajoke!" She barely had time to get the words out as Clawdeen lunged forward.

Both girls fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter. Cerena threw her arms up to defend herself against Clawdeen's playful punches.

"I can't believe you did that to me. _Again_!"

"I can't believe you fell for it again."

The hellhound grinned and guided her tail to coil around one of Clawdeen's legs. The brunnette glanced back to watch the serpent-like tail for a moment then turned her attention to her friend beneath her. Her punches had stopped but that didn't change the fact that she was pretty much straddling Cerena. She subconsciously rested her rump on Cerena's pelvis, immediately able to feel the heat rising to her face. She stifled a groan. Cerena shouldn't have been making her heart race as quickly as it was. Clawdeen opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a loud, yowling yawn. Both she and Cerena turned their attention to Toralei for a brief moment before finally pulling away from each other.

Cleo suppressed a yawn and crawled down from her top bunk. Her voice was still rather sleep heavy.

"Clawdeen… Did you get the snake?"

Clawdeen watched as Cleo languidly walked to her dresser to retrieve her camp clothing, under clothes and towel. She rolled her eyes and shot a playful glare to Cerena, who looked away innocently.

"It wasn't a real snake, Cleo."

"Well shoot," Toralei purred, "Capturing the thing would have been fun." Her pupils locked on Cerena's tail. "Snakes are particularly fun to watch squirm helplessly when they're captured in between your hands." She casually stood, ignoring the disturbed faces of the other three. After grabbing what she needed, she draped a towel over one of her arms. "You three had better hurry. Don't want Harpy all over you for being late."

Cerena's tail coiled tightly around her waist as the door closed behind Toralei. Her brows furrowed.

"Did she get worse while I was away or something?"

Cleo scoffed and began to walk towards the door herself. "She's Toralei. There's always room for her to get worse."

Clawdeen bobbed her head in a nod as she began to gather her items. Cerena followed suit. A proper shower would rid her of any filth the lake water didn't. As she followed Clawdeen and Cleo to the showers, the werewolf told her of a time when Toralei and her friends almost ruined a huge fashion opportunity for her and her own friends. Cleo frowned and grunted. She wanted to wrap the werefeline up in ragged linens and throw her in the deepest part of an abandoned tomb. She hated when anyone messed with her or her best friends. Or their dreams.

Cerena let a heavy sigh fall from her lips. Was there anything Toralei wouldn't do for the sake of self-amusement?

"You came out on top right?" Concern laced her voice.

Cleo giggled and Clawdeen playfully scoffed. "You know we did, girl."

A smile graced Cerena's lips.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less."

* * *

><p>Once the girls were all showered, they made their way to the forest's edge. Adriana was there waiting and behind her stood the six counselors. Each of them had four backpacks tied with a colored bandana around their feet.<p>

"Glad to see you've all made it here promptly. I like that. Today will mark the first of the many activities we've got planned for you all." She allowed the girls a brief moment of curious chatter among themselves before she silenced them. Reaching down, she picked up one of the backpacks and held it up. "Today, we're going to have a friendly competition that will test your ability to track and work together as a team. My counselors and I have planted a posted flag with each of your team's colors somewhere out in the forest. The first team to successfully find and return their flag to me will be rewarded." As she spoke, she opened the pack. "Inside of these, there are two bottles of water, snacks, binoculars, insect repellent and basic medical kits. Ration them out accordingly as, even with the tracker only one of you will have, finding these posts are not going to be easy." She removed the small GPS device to show the girls what it looked like before placing it back in the bag and tossing it to Draculaura. "The person with the tracker is going to be the one you will rely on the most to guide you to where the post will be." She motioned to the ghouls behind her. "The counselors here will be accompanying each team to make sure that no one gets the wise idea of trying to sneak away or cheat during this. Beyond that though, they will not be giving any hints to where your posts are. Understood?" Her response was a cacophony of "yes ma'ams" and "mhms". She flashed her teeth in a grin. "Good! Good luck girls. I'll see you all soon." With that, the harpy shot up into the air and disappeared among the clouds.

As soon as she was out of sight, the girls went to retrieve their packs. Clawdeen, Cerena, and Cleo took a few moments to have a brief talk with their friends while Toralei was talking to Meowlody and Purrsephone.

"How'd your first night with Toralei go, mates?" Lagoona asked curiously.

Cleo groaned loudly and crossed her arms. "She is _such_ a pain! Can you believe she actually tried to make me sleep on the bottom bunk?"

The girls all shared a laugh.

"Sounds like a typical Cleo and Toralei interaction," Draculaura teased.

The mummified princess stuck her tongue out while Frankie lightly nudged the vampire. It was clear the action was playful.

"Don't make fun of Cleo. She, Clawdeen, and Cerena got it the hardest of all of us this summer. I mean, they're the ones who have to share a room with Toralei all summer."

Cleo released another exaggerated groan, only to sigh and wave a hand dismissively. "I would take sharing a room with her over sharing a body again with her any day."

Lagoona rubbed at the back of her head and blew air through her teeth and out the side of her mouth. "That whole experience was weirder than seeing a penguin in the Reef, but at least we ended up making some new friends."

The others voiced their agreement before looking in various directions to calls of their names and orders to get going. They each bid each other farewell in the forms of hugs and see you laters before breaking apart to their own groups.

Clawdeen, Cleo, Toralei and Cerena each picked up a bag and looked through it. It didn't take long for one of them to find the tracking device.

"Follow me girls. I'll lead us to the flag with no problem."

Clawdeen blinked, Cerena glared and crossed her arms and Cleo smacked her face against her palm.

"What?" Toralei asked with seemingly genuine innocence. "Don't you all trust me?"

Cerena's eyes quickly flashed red as she closed and tossed her pack onto her back. "My trust for you goes about as far as I can throw you."

Toralei grinned smugly. She turned on the device before sauntering over and patting Cerena's cheek. She quickly withdrew her hand as the sound of a growl and teeth colliding with air reached her ears.

"Don't worry puppy. I'll get us where we need to be, okay?" She turned on heel and giggled to herself, completely aware of Cerena's irritation.

Clawdeen shook her head then turned her attention to the hellhound. She threw her arm around her shoulder, able to feel how tense her body was. She tugged the taller ghoul close and guided her forward with Cleo and the bat-like counselor close behind.

"Relax Cerena." Her voice was calm, but Cerena could hear slightly annoyance beneath it.

Cerena's eyes flashed. "But she called me 'puppy', Clawdeen. No one calls me that 'cept-"

"I know," the werewolf interjected, "I know, but try to forget it. She's just trying to get a reaction out of you."

The ravennette sighed and curled her tail around her leg before adjusting her glasses. Her eyes trailed over Clawdeen's face. The comforting smile resting on plush lips was enough to melt any irritation Cerena was feeling away. She loved the sight of Clawdeen's fangs peeking from beneath her upper lip. Hell, she loved the sight of Clawdeen herself. The brunnette was always just what she needed to relieve any kind of stress she was feeling. Her ears flicked and her eyes closed for a moment. When they opened, her eyes were a pale blue shade. She wrapped her arm around Clawdeen's waist and pulled her in for a one armed hug.

"Thanks Clawdeen." Her voice was quiet and grateful.

Clawdeen patted her shoulder but made no attempt to move her arm. She felt warm inside when she noticed that Cerena wasn't trying to move away either. She laughed quietly.

"Hey. What're best friends for, Puppy?"

* * *

><p>"Uuugh. How far are these flags into this forest?" Cleo took a moment to stop and take a long swig from her bottle. In the time that they had been tracking, she had nearly expended both of her water bottles. She, Clawdeen, and Cerena didn't mind sharing their snacks with each other. They had even offered some things to Toralei, but she politely (in her own way) declined.<p>

The bat-like female shrugged and brushed her bangs from her face.

"I'm not allowed to say."

Cleo frowned and cursed in Egyptian. Her attention turned to Toralei. "Toralei, how much farther until we reach the flag?"

The werecat glanced back to her then to the GPS's screen. "We're almost there."

"That's what you said an hour ago." She walked forward and plucked the device from Toralei's hands.

"Hey! Gimme that! It was in _my _backpack!" She reached and snatched it back.

Cleo glared and took it back. The back and forth eventually dissolved into shouting and shoving and snatching between the two. The counselor stepped forward and tried reaching for it herself while trying to project her voice above the girls'.

Cerena glanced to Clawdeen then placed a hand on her chin in thought. Pale azure hues looked to the device Toralei had managed to get away from the other two then to the counselor herself. Her ears perked after a moment and before too long, she sprinted forward and managed to snatch the device away from Toralei. She ignored Toralei's hiss and circled around to the counselor. She grabbed the older monster's hands and raised them.

"What are you-Hey stop!" She tugged her hands away and stared incredulously as Cerena inhaled and sniffled.

Without bothering to address the woman, the hellhound turned on heel and walked forward. Her nose was pointed towards the sky. Turning her head to and fro, she finally grinned as she picked up on a faint scent.

"Got it." She looked back to the other four for a brief moment before motioning for them to follow. "Come with me. It's this way." She tossed the device back to Toralei and grinned then turned back began to sprint.

Clawdeen was the first to move. She patted Cleo on the back and soon, both girls went after Cerena. Toralei frowned and reluctantly followed. The mildly weirded out counselor was the last to follow.

After another forty-five minutes, the group finally came upon a small clearing. Sunlight beamed down on a medium sized pole, sporting a bright orange flag. Cerena beamed and darted forward to grab the fabric. The counselor soon followed and picked up the pole.

"Good job girls. Even though your method was a bit… unorthodox," her eyes lingered on Cerena, "you've gotten your flag. Let's head back and see how you did."

The girls all voiced their agreement and began to follow the older ghoul back towards the campgrounds.

Cerena's eyes finally darkened to their emerald shade as she felt Cleo's hip bump her own.

"Nicely done, Cerena."

She smiled and shrugged. "Gotta give it to Blue. My left head's the best tracker of the three of us."

Cleo smiled, thankful that she had a friend able to find things by scent. She couldn't wait to get back to camp and rest.

* * *

><p>The walk back to the camp was mostly quiet. The girls spent their time observing and listening to the sounds of nature. Clawdeen's ears perked at the sound of rushing water. A waterfall must be nearby. She and Cerena were the two taking up the rear. Golden hues trailed over to the Greek ghoul. Seeing how much Cerena had grown intrigued her. She was taller. Her body had grown taller and her hair was longer. The new glasses gave her a slightly nerdy charm. The same charm Ghoulia gave off. A soft smile graced her lips. It was nice to know that Cerena hadn't changed personality-wise and still cared about her friends. That she still cared about her. Clawdeen's ears lowered slightly and her smile faded. She had a puppy crush on all of her friends, sure, but they had someone to call their own. That was the biggest reason she tried not to let her budding feelings for them go beyond whimsical what-ifs. She wasn't even sure how any of them actually felt about members of the same sex. She groaned inwardly and looked to the ground ahead of her. Maybe that's all they'd ever be. Whimsical what-ifs. There's no way that-<p>

"Huhn?"

Her ears stood and her eyes darted over to see a deep grey hued arm draped around her shoulder. Her head raised and she glanced over to see Cerena still looking ahead. She felt the taller girl's arm tense and naturally moved to walk closer to her. Her smile returned as she felt the warmth from earlier filling her body. She took a quick moment to rest her head against Cerena. Whimsical what-ifs had nothing on actually being close to her best gal pals though. She sighed contently and reached to somewhat shyly wrap her arm around Cerena's waist. She couldn't see it, but she was sure Cerena was smiling. Maybe Cerena. Just maybe.

When they finally arrived, they saw that Frankie's team had actually made it back before them. Cerena and Clawdeen had long since separated, but kept sharing silent glances. Cleo, Clawdeen and Cerena stepped over to talk to Frankie, Lagoona, Rochelle and Robecca. They congratulated them on making it back first then spent the time waiting for the other groups talking about how they think their senior year will go.

It took another hour before everyone was back with their flags. Adriana congratulated the winning group and awarded them each with a medal. It was then that she mentioned that the cabin with the most medals at the end of the summer would be rewarded with something special. That sparked interested conversation between the girls. Adriana simply smiled and dismissed the girls, allowing them to do as they please. Within reason anyway. Most of the girls went back to their cabins to change to their swim wear.

Cleo quickly changed with the intention of maybe catching Deuce out swimming. Toralei was the second to leave the cabin. She needed to be around her real friends. Cerena sat on Clawdeen's bunk and waited patiently for her to change. Clawdeen had her back to her and was currently only clad in her swim shorts. Cerena's eyes shamelessly traveled along Clawdeen's backside as she looked through her drawer for a swim top. Clawdeen had changed a lot since Cerena had seen her last as well. The fashion-conscious werewolf had kept her body in shape. She was still lean, but one could easily make out the light definition of her legs and arms. Her behind as well. Fearleading had really toned Clawdeen's rump. Cerena shivered and clutched the blanket. Her tail tensed and coiled itself tightly around her leg. Her ears quivered as she watched Clawdeen straighten up and wriggle a bikini top onto her chest. The way Clawdeen sighed and smiled when she faced her caused a bright blush to accent her cheeks. The werewolf was far too beautiful for her own good.

"What do you think? Not too bad, right?"

Cerena's eyes quickly darted from chest level to face level. She smiled and stood, circling her auburn haired friend. She flashed her teeth once she finally stopped in front of her.

"Looking good Clawdeen." Very good. The ravennette let her tail sway back and forth behind her. "The boys're gonna be all over you when you go out there."

Clawdeen chuckled and rolled her eyes. She stepped forward and let one of her hands rest on Cerena's shoulder. The other stopped on the hellhound's stomach. She leaned up on her toes and murmured into her ear.

"It's not the boys I'm concerned about." Her voice was sultry. Playful.

What? Cerena's mind momentarily crashed. She felt nails raking along her smooth stomach for only a brief moment before suddenly feeling nothing at all. Wide eyes darted here and there before settling back on a giggling Clawdeen. She watched silently as the werewolf turned to grab a towel then opened the door.

"Come on Cerena!"

The ravennette shook her head and quickly grabbed the towel she used earlier. Clawdeen wanted to play it that way? A smirk graced her lips. She could play it that way, too. She stepped out and closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Cerena tossed and turned in her bed. It was too hot. She couldn't sleep. Her eyes opened and stared at the slightly blurred, darkened ceiling. All through the week, she and Clawdeen had tested each other. Seeing how far they could push before one of them broke. A smile painted her lips. She knew Clawdeen was a good flirt, but damn. She never knew just how good she was. She "accidental" hand brushes against her rump, the playful whispers, scratching at her belly when no one was looking. That wasn't to say she herself wasn't teasing just as much. Pinning Clawdeen when no one was around, letting her tail wander along smooth skin, peeks in the shower that stopped just short of what they both knew they wanted to see. A grumble caught in Cerena's throat. Her blanket suddenly felt too restrictive. She pushed the cotton blanket aside, put on her glasses and carefully crawled down from the top bunk. Her eyes trailed to the wall clock. Thanks to her night vision, she was able to read 11:46. She tapped her chin then crouched beside Clawdeen's bed. Reaching forward, she gently shook Clawdeen's shoulder.

"Hey," she whispered, "you awake?"

The brunnette snorted softly and whined. The noise caused Cerena to bite her lower lip. She almost hated to wake her up. She continued to rouse Clawdeen until, finally, the werewolf huffed and rolled over to face her.

"Awright, awright, I'm up." She stifled a quiet yawn and offered the hellhound a small, sleepy smile. "Something bothering you?" She hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her kneecaps.

Cerena shook her head. "Nah, but I need you to get dressed. I wanna go for a walk, and I wanted you to come with me."

Clawdeen stretched, back arching forward. She peeked, fully aware that the ravennette's eyes were on her. She giggled and pushed the blanket back before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Cerena wasted no time in leaning forward and crossing her arms on Clawdeen's lap. She rested her chin on her forearm and looked up. Her tail wagged slowly. The werewolf laughed to herself and reached to scratch behind one of Cerena's ears. The pierced appendage flicked as a deep groan caught in Cerena's throat. Emerald hues fell closed.

"You sure you want to go for a walk?" Clawdeen asked, her hand trailing down to Cerena's chin.

Cerena raised her head, eyes rolling back slightly. "I think? Maybe. Just keep doing this for right now though."

The brunnette grinned and looked to Cerena's tail. The dull thumping indicated that she was definitely enjoying herself. Golden eyes trailed back up to the face of the melting hellhound. Her eyes had closed. Her face could hold the attitude of a tough girl, the innocence of a shy girl, and the zeal of a peppy one. Cerena was three in one and Clawdeen wouldn't have her any other way. She shifted slightly and leaned over the ravennette. Her free hand had dropped to Cerena's belly. Manicured nails skimmed gently along the smooth surface. It wasn't long before Cerena was on her back and Clawdeen's hand was beneath her shirt. Her stomach was warm to the touch. Clawdeen chuckled at the way Cerena wriggled and arched into the scratching hand. She did enjoy being the only one who knew how to really calm and melt the hellhound. She couldn't lie to herself. She loved watching the taller ghoul being cute. Because of her. After a long while of simply sitting and rubbing and scratching at Cerena's belly, Clawdeen finally pulled back and brushed a loose strand of hair back into its place. The sight of the hellhound's dopey smile amused her.

"You still feel like that walk?"

Cerena's tongue tip poked out slightly. Clawdeen's voice was a lingering buzz in her ears. Walk? Her ears perked. Oh yeah! She pushed into a sit, still able to feel Clawdeen's nails trailing her skin. She nodded and stood, soon after helping the other ghoul up.

"Yeah yeah. Hurry and get dressed." With that, she went over to her dresser and pulled on her camp shirt and a pair of camo, "any use" shorts. She sat on Clawdeen's bed to put on her shoes. As she did so, she watched the other tug on a fitted tank top and the camp shorts. It wasn't long before she was joining Cerena on the bunk beside her. Cerena tapped the heel of her foot against the floor as she waited for Clawdeen to finish putting on her shoes.

Once both girls were ready, they stood and, after Cerena grabbed a flashlight from her backpack, exited the cabin. Cerena's ears perked and she looked about before taking Clawdeen's hand and pulling her along to the camp's edge of the woods. They had almost reached the southern archway when the sound of footsteps and voices reached their ears. Cerena's breathing hitched. With a quick motion, she hurriedly pulled Clawdeen behind a thick post. Instinctively she shot a hand up to cover the werewolf's mouth. Both girls strained their ears to pick up on the conversation.

"When do you think you'll see Jeremy again?"

A sigh followed. "I don't know… I really want to cross the lake to see him, but Harpy keeps a close eye on us when she can."

"Y'know, I would say anything if you suddenly disappeared for a little while. If anyone asks, I could say you're making your rounds on the other side of camp."

A squeal followed by an excited but hushed thank you followed.

As soon as they heard the footsteps retreating, Clawdeen followed Cerena towards the tree line and into the dark forest.

Once they were sure they were far enough away, the brunnette slowed her pace, which in turn caused the taller ghoul to slow down.

"You didn't have to cover my mouth you know."

Cerena bit her lower lip and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry." She released Clawdeen's hand and instead wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It was an impulse reaction." Her tail slithered to coil around Clawdeen's waist. "Don't be mad?"

The werewolf smiled and leaned her head against the hellhound. "Fine, but would you mind telling me where we're even going?" Her arm wrapped around Cerena's waist.

A bright grin crossed Cerena's lips.

_"Come on Clawdeen! It's not that much further!" Cerena called back merrily to her friend._

"Trust me. You'll remember when we get close." She allowed her thumb to lightly circle the shorter ghoul's bare shoulder.

_Clawdeen huffed and crawled over a fallen tree. She could only wonder where the excited hellhound was taking her. They were pretty far from the campsite already. What if they got caught? A grunt escaped her lips followed by a surprised gasp as a group of lightning bugs flittered past. Cerena promised her they wouldn't but… Her ears lowered slightly and she took a brief moment to look behind her._

_"Hey."_

_The werewolf jumped slightly and turned golden hues towards the ravennette. Cerena's expression was sincere and concerned._

_"What's up? You look like you're thinking about something."_

_Clawdeen shook her head then stopped and gave a halfhearted shrug. "I dunno. Guess I'm just worried about getting caught or something."_

Cerena landed with a grunt and looked back. Using her tail as an anchor, she latched onto a sturdy tree trunk and held her arms out, motioning for Clawdeen to jump.

_"Aw come on," she placed a hand on Clawdeen's shoulder, "we're not gonna get caught, and even if we did, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." She turned and locked her arm with the werewolf's. "Freaky friends for life. I got you Clawdeen."_

Clawdeen eyed the broken bridge warily. The gap couldn't have been more than six or seven feet across. The thought that she wouldn't make it didn't bother her nearly as much as what would happen if she didn't. Golden eyes watched dark water flowing near silently over darker rocks. She didn't want to get wet. Her attention turned to Cerena. Her outstretched arms and warm smile told Clawdeen that she wasn't going to let her fall. "I've got you" is what her eyes seemed to say. Taking a deep breath, Clawdeen stepped back for a running start and dashed. At the very edge of the water, a grunt fell from her as she leapt.

_Clawdeen couldn't help but smile. Though she had only known Cerena for a few months, the hellhound had become as precious a friend to her as Frankie and Draculaura. She stood up for any of them just as quickly as they would have stood up for each other. The brunnette tightened her arm around Cerena's and giggled when she pulled her close. "Freaky friends for life."_

Cerena tensed the muscles in her tail and pulled back as soon as she felt Clawdeen fall against her. Her arms were locked tight around the werewolf's smaller frame. She pulled back enough to see Clawdeen's face and chuckle. "You can open your eyes. I got you."

Clawdeen peeked one eye open, then the other. She wasn't wet. In fact, she felt comfortably warm. Her ears perked when she looked to Cerena. The hellhound reached up to tuck a loose strand of Clawdeen's hair back into place before drawing her into an affectionate embrace. The brunnette closed her eyes and accepted the hug, not too long after, returning it. Showing affection was an odd feeling to the werewolf. She didn't dislike it. It was just strange to her.

The girls remained tangled together for what seemed like forever before Cerena finally pulled away and led Clawdeen onward.

_The hellhound laughed. "Aw yeah! Let's go!" Chirps and cries of night time nature filled the air as the two teenagers ran. Cerena vaulted over low stumps while Clawdeen gracefully weaved around them. _

_It wasn't long before they came upon a large, ancient looking, and knotted tree. Cerena wiped her brow and beamed. "I knew it. We're close."_

_Clawdeen came up behind her, watching as she climbed up into the tree's lower branches. "Close to what?"_

_Cerena latched her legs onto the branch and swung backwards, coming face to face with her right side up friend. She smiled and crossed her arms behind her head. "Somewhere neat." Her ears perked at the sound of rushing water. Inhaling, she held her breath as she flipped down from the branch onto her hands and feet. Her tail wagged slowly as she turned to face Clawdeen. _

_"You hear that?"_

_"Hear what?" Clawdeen asked curiously._

_"Listen. Shh."_

_Clawdeen's ears stood on end. It didn't take her long to pick up on the sound of rushing water. She eyed Cerena and cocked her head slightly._

_"Water?"_

_Cerena nodded and took Clawdeen's hand, eagerly leading her forward. "Yes! We're almost there."_

Cerena's emerald eyes scanned to and fro. It had to be around here somewhere. She was sure it was still… Her ears twitched. There it was! With a giggle, she darted forward, leaving Clawdeen to catch up.

"Cerena!"

Clawdeen huffed and came to a halt just as she saw Cerena's feet disappear into the thick leaves of a familiar looking tree. Her eyes widened and her jaw slacked slightly. She knew where they were going! She flashed her teeth in a bright grin and ran up to the gnarled trunk of the large tree. She jumped back slightly when Cerena emerged, hanging upside down. She had leaves stuck to her hair. The werewolf giggled and stepped over to her, reaching to carefully remove them.

Cerena's eyes fell half closed when she felt Clawdeen remove the last of the leaves she was sure was stuck in her hair. Their faces were so close. She could feel the warmth of the werewolf's breath ghosting across her lips. Clawdeen gently pushed her glasses back in place before taking her face in both her hands.

"You know… This kind of reminds me of that scene in that one movie about the spider themed superhero."

The ravennette blinked then laughed, knowing just the one she meant. The laughter soon faded as gold captured emerald. Her tail swayed slowly.

**'Do it.'**

"You know how to make it even more like that scene?"

_'Don't rush.'_

Clawdeen only offered a shy smile. Her cheeks burned a bright shade of red. Should she? She didn't have too much time to think about it. Her ears lowered to her head and her breathing slowed. Gradually, her eyes fell closed as she melted into the tender liplock. Her heart was racing. This wasn't her first kiss, but it was the first one that made her feel weak. Her breathing hitched. This is what she wanted. She couldn't lie to herself. A quiet whimper muffled in her throat and she stepped forward, tentatively deepening the kiss.

Cerena's mind was set on only one thing. The werewolf in front of her. Her own ears had laid flat to her head. For almost two years, she's had to watch the target of her unspoken affection fritter her time away with guys she clearly wasn't interested in. She had to watch the way Clawdeen was hit on and sought after. She herself had her fair share of would be boyfriends, but they would never have lasted. She went out, but she was never truly interested. Her fingernails bit into the wood as Clawdeen stepped forward to deepen the kiss. Yeah, Frankie and the others were gorgeous as well, but they were all spoken for. Besides. There was just something about the way the brunnette carried herself that drew Cerena's multicolored hues to her.

Clawdeen was the one to break the kiss. She gently pulled back and bit her cheek, smiling when Cerena opened her eyes. The hellhound reached forward to ghost her fingers against Clawdeen's chin before pulling up to finally swing from the tree and back onto her feet. She turned and took one of the shorter ghoul's hands into her own. Neither of them spoke, only sharing smiles as they walked towards their destination.

_"Wow!" Clawdeen's eyes sparkled as she stepped through the thick bramble of leaves that Cerena was holding back. Before her was a clearing. Flowers lined the edge of a small pool of cool water. The pool drained into a stream that flowed somewhere out into the forest. What really drew her attention was the waterfall. Looking up, she couldn't tell just how far up it went, but it looked like it was higher up. Her ears perked and twitched and she looked over to see that Cerena had discarded her footwear and was laid out across the flat top of a rock._

_Cerena folded her legs up and crossed them, tail tip dipping down into the water. She was using her forearms as a pillow. After a moment, she felt Clawdeen settling down nearby. Glancing over, she watched the werewolf dipping her feet into the water. She smiled and turned her attention to the sky. She was glad that she was able to see the sky through the canopy. It was always so clear._

_"How'd you find this place?" Clawdeen had to speak louder than normal to be heard over the roar of the waterfall._

_The ravennette closed her eyes. "I came across it a week ago while I was out here."_

_"How many time exactly have you been out here?"_

_"Hm… Probably every other night. I usually leave the camp when I was sure everyone else was sleeping."_

_Clawdeen tilted her head. She couldn't say she was surprised. She knew how restless Cerena could get. She laughed to herself and looked over to see that she was busy looking up to the sky. Clawdeen looked up as well, finally deciding to lie back as well._

_The girls spent a long time sitting and talking as they listened to the waterfall and the sounds of night. Cerena showed Clawdeen some of the unique plants that grew around the rocks as well as the animals that occasionally gathered. They shared stories about past experiences._

_"You're lucky. I'd love to go to Scaris someday."_

_Clawdeen smiled. "You never know. I might get some huge deal someday to launch my own line and I'll take you and all my girls with me to the first launch party."_

_Cerena laughed and pushed into a stand. "That would be so much fun." She stretched for a moment then looked down to her seated friend. "You wanna see the cave?"_

_The brunnette cocked her head and stood, following Cerena along a craggy path that lead to a small cavern hidden behind the waterfall._

A quiet gasp echoed against the cavern walls followed by a quiet whimper. Clawdeen's fingers flexed and relaxed, constantly digging her nails into Cerena's shoulder. Another sharp gasp filled the air when she felt Cerena's teeth catch a tender area of her neck. She arched into the taller ghoul, further pressing herself down against her lap. This was happening. This was really happening. Cerena's tail slithered up against her thigh, growing ever closer. Clawdeen's cheeks burned. She'd never gone beyond a simple kiss with any guy, yet here she was, all but being completely felt up by one of her friends. One of her _female _friends. She swallowed hard and turned her eyes down when she felt the tip of the scaled appendage brushing against her through her underwear. Her back straightened and her ears matted themselves to her head. This is what she wanted, right? Oh… Just how far was she willing to go? A shiver surged along her spine when she felt Cerena's tail pressing against her clit. She opened her mouth to speak, only for a soft moan to escape instead. Very gently, Clawdeen began to grind herself experimentally against Cerena's tail.

Cerena clenched her eyes shut and simply focused on Clawdeen's whimpers and moans that were just barely able to be heard over the crashing water. Her hands ghosted along the other girl's body, one stopping to rest on her lower back and the other on her hip. She could feel Clawdeen's hips moving against the motions of her tail. She smiled slightly and continued to match her pace for a moment longer before finally withdrawing her tail and instead letting it wrap around the werewolf's waist. She opened her eyes to see Clawdeen's face. She looked confused and, Cerena swore, somewhat disappointed. The hellhound chuckled and reached up to let one of her hands rest on the brunnette's cheek.

"As much fun as it would be, I can see that you're not ready," she leaned in, pressing her lips to Clawdeen's for a long, tender kiss. When she pulled away, she continued, "Besides. I didn't bring you out here just to put my hands on you without the threat of prying eyes." She tilted her head slightly and lowered her arms so that she was embracing Clawdeen. She nuzzled against her neck and closed her eyes, reveling in her warmth. "I wanted to bring you somewhere special so I could tell you that… you mean a lot to me. You were the first friend I made at Monster High and the first one to really get to know me." Her ears lowered to her head. "All of me."

The werewolf listened to the other girl and gave an inward sigh of relief. She was glad that Cerena respected her enough not to do anything she was uncomfortable with. Shifting her body, she wrapped her arms around the hellhound's shoulders and laid her cheek atop her head. She waited until Cerena was done before speaking up herself. "You mean a lot to me too." Her Brooklyn accented voice was sincere. "You're three of the best friends a ghoul could have." She heard a muffled chuckle. Her fingers scratched gently at the back of the ravennette's head. The scaled appendage tightened its hold on her slightly.

Cerena kissed softly at Clawdeen's neck. "Clawdeen…" Her voice was slightly gruffer than normal. "I'd really like it if you'd gimme a chance." She pulled away, allowing crimson hues to catch gold.

Clawdeen's ears lowered in thought. She wanted to say that she would love to, but what if her friends found out? What would they think? They wouldn't abandon her right? She whined quietly and slumped her shoulders. She really did care for Cerena, but she didn't want to potentially lose her and all of her other friends. Her eyes lowered and then closed. What should she do? What should she- Her ears perked. Cerena's lips had captured hers once again. She sighed into the kiss and pressed back into it, eyes closing. She knew what she wanted. Once she kiss was broken, she opened her eyes to stare into clear, pale pool of blue.

"It's alright if you say no. I understand."

Clawdeen could hear the underlying worry in her voice. If she said no, it wouldn't be alright. She smiled warmly and reached to tease a strand of Cerena's hair. "Of course I'll give you a chance, Puppy. But…" Her eyes averted. "You mind if we don't tell the girls? Not yet at least." She looked back to see a cocked head and curious eyes. "I wanna tell them all when the time is right."

Cerena shrugged and offered a smile. Her tail had released Clawdeen and was wagging against the ground. "Whatever you feel is right. I'll support you, whatever you do."

The girls both shared a smile and a kiss.

* * *

><p>They remained in the cave for a few more hours, cuddled up and listening to the waterfall. Clawdeen had drifted off to sleep at one point and Cerena was more than happy to watch over her. When time finally did come for them to leave, Cerena carried the werewolf back to camp. Exactly as she had done almost two years ago. The only difference was that she would be going back to the campsite with her girlfriend.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

A few days had passed since Clawdeen and Cerena night time trip to the waterfall. For Clawdeen, she felt a certain thrill with her secret relationship. Sneaking kisses when no one was looking was perhaps her most favorite thing to do. Cerena particularly enjoyed pulling Clawdeen away for a quick makeout session while everyone else was busy with their own agendas.

_Clawdeen straddled Cerena, golden hues smoldering. She dug her nails into her shoulders, further pushing the hellhound down into the mattress. She laid her torso along Cerena's, rolling her hips slightly as their lips connected. Toralei and Cleo would be back soon._

_Cerena growled into the kiss, tail snaking around Clawdeen's leg. She pressed herself up into Clawdeen, gasping quietly as the shorter ghoul's nails trailed to scratch lightly under her chin. Her ears glued themselves to her head as the kiss was broken. She heard Clawdeen giggle breathlessly._

_"Nhh… You're a hell of a lot more bold than you were back at the waterfall."_

_The brunnette smiled and leaned down, letting her lips brush Cerena's as she spoke._

_"I'm a little more used to you now."_

The werewolf was gradually growing more and more comfortable with the thought of giving her feelings to another girl. She would have to tell her friends eventually. The thought that she might lose them over something like her feelings for Cerena was still bothering her, but a kiss and gentle reassurance from the hellhound smothered out any negative feelings.

Morning came and brought clear skies and the sound of the wakeup call over the camp's speakers. Adriana's voice rang clear, letting the girls know of their activity for the day. The groans of all fours girls filled the cabin air. They each remained in their beds for a few minutes longer before deciding to get up. Toralei was the first one to get out of bed. With a yawn, the werecat pushed into a stand and sauntered towards her dresser. She dug deep down into her clothes and eventually withdrew her iCoffin phone. As her fingers danced over the touchscreen keypad, she heard a voice behind her.

"You're using your phone?"

The redhead turned to look eyes to eye with Cerena. She was just putting her glasses on and crawling down from the top bunk when the werecat responded with a slight shrug.

"What of it?"

Cerena rolled her eyes and stretched, tail tensing and relaxing.

"Just curious as to how you've been keeping it hidden and charged," the hellhound groaned as one of her joints popped loudly. "Fuck that hurt…"

Toralei giggled and, after responding to another message, tucked her phone back into its hiding spot. She stepped towards Cerena and casually laid her arms around her shoulders and leaned in.

"Don't worry about it. What Harpy doesn't know won't hurt her." Her tone was playful and somewhat teasing. What started out as amused giggles quickly turned into a surprised and slightly pained yelp as she found herself on the ground beneath a red eyed hellhound. Neither of them seemed to notice that Cleo was suddenly very awake and interested in what was going on.

Cerena growled quietly, ears lowered threateningly. Her eyes flashed. One hand held one of Toralei's hands to her back, the other pinned her arm to the floor. "Listen to me, Toralei," she growled, her gruff voice even harsher than normal, "don't touch me. I am _not _your friend." She could feel Toralei squirming beneath her and reveled in the distressed mewls she made. The hellhound smirked and released Toralei, pushing up onto her hands and feet to allow the redhead to scramble away.

Toralei hissed, which caused the hair on the back of Cerena's neck to stand on end. She backed away to her clothes drawer and retrieved her clothing for the day and a towel. Her eyes, the pupils of which were now narrow slits, lingered on the hellhound before she sneered and wordlessly disappeared from sight out of the cabin.

_'Did you have to get so violent?' _came the mental question from her blue eyed self.

**'Uh, yeah. She touched me. I don't like her,' **was the response given.

_'Red… You're gonna get us in trouble one day…'_

**'We'll be fine.'**

The ravennette scoffed and turned back to see that Cleo had come down from her bunk and had a bright smile plastered across her face. She giggled and stepped forward, letting a hand pat Cerena's shoulder.

"That was interesting to wake up to," she said.

Cerena shrugged and stole a quick glance to Clawdeen before looking back.

"I've had more chaotic. Trust me," she ran a hand through her thick onyx tresses as she released a quiet scoff of a laugh.

The Egyptian princess walked to her dresser and began looking through it for her clothes. "Who are you telling? You wouldn't believe some of the mornings I've had. Like this one time-"

Cerena had honestly stopped listening and had made her way to sit beside Clawdeen on her bed. Her eyes had brightened considerably to their pale blue hue. Her tail was wrapped sheepishly around her waist and her hands rested down between her legs. She didn't look to the werewolf and was genuinely surprised when she felt slender fingers rubbing subtly behind one of her ears.

"-so, anyway, you two had better hurry up before you're late." Cleo, with her clothes and towel in hand, waved to her friends and shut the door behind her.

As soon as the door was shut, Clawdeen lunged and pinned Cerena to the mattress, earning her a surprised yip. Her golden hues were narrowed sternly. "Cerena. What the hell?"

The blue eyed hellhound whined slightly and shrugged, ears flickering and lowering. "She annoyed us and Red took over a-and I'm sorry."

Clawdeen sighed and leaned down, eyes locking onto Cerena's. "I know she hears me. Tell her to watch herself." She moved forward to close the distance between their lips. She held the gentle kiss for a moment before pulling away. "Because if you get kicked out, who am I gonna spend time at the waterfall with and kiss?" While she seemed rather playful, her tone was a concerned plea. She offered another swift peck. "Hm?"

Cerena shivered and melted into the kiss, eyes closing. When they reopened, crimson had replaced the blue. She smiled sheepishly and grunted. "Alright. I'll watch my temper, but only because you did so well to convince me."

The werewolf giggled and squeaked as she allowed herself to be pinned and assaulted with loving kisses to her lips and neck.

* * *

><p>After all of the girls were showered and dressed, they gathered along the sandy shoreline of the lake. They stood in their groups clad in their swim attire. Adriana stood in front, backed by her six counselors.<p>

"Good morning girls! I hope you've gotten a good amount of rest because you're going to have needed it for the team challenge today." She turned and motioned to the six buoys bobbing fifteen feet out in the water. Each one was topped with a flag representing each team. "The challenge for today is a swim relay. Each member of your team must swim out to the buoy topped with your cabin's color. Once there, each swimmer must swim around the outer edge before making their return back to the beach. As soon as one of you returns, it's imperative that your next swimmer is ready to go. This challenge is all about speed. The team whose members have all completed their lap will be the team awarded." She turned back to her campers. "You all have three minutes to determine which order you will be going in." With that, the harpy turned to face and speak with the six younger women.

Cerena tapped a finger to her chin and silently looked towards Lagoona, then Sirena. Her ears lowered to her head in thought. Her half masted eyes brightened to their pale blue hue as she began to speak.

"Okay, she said this challenge is about speed. Since this is a water event, our biggest threats are Lagoona from the red team and Sirena from the pink team." Her eyes turned between her teammates then back to the ground. "That being the case, there's a high chance that they're going to save those two for the final lap of the relay. What we're going to need to do is definitely keep our strongest swimmer for last. I would suggest either Clawdeen or myself because-"

"Now hold on. What makes you so sure that Cleo or I wouldn't be strong final swimmers?" Toralei interjected. She was visibly irked.

The hellhound sighed and met her bright green gaze. "I'm not saying that you wouldn't be good for it, but what else do you both do beyond fearleading?" She looked to Cleo and raised a hand. "No offense to you," her attention returned to the werecat, "but Clawdeen's both a fearleader and a scary soccer player. I fearlead and operate on the school's track and field team. We both basically do nothing but run at the practices and during games and meets. Thinking of that, it's clear that we both have the leg power and respiratory ability to try to keep the gap between our team and their teams small should they come out ahead."

"Swimming isn't just about the legs though," Toralei countered, "you've got to have the arms for it."

Cerena blinked then lifted her ears as her eyes brightened. Crimson flashed as she raised and flexed both her arms, showing off the lean but firm muscles in her arms and torso. She was oblivious to the werewolf's perked eyebrows.

"Weren't you listening? I'm on the T and F team. I'm sure you know that means that, in addition to running and jumping, I throw the shot-put, javelins, and all that good stuff. Believe me. I've got the arms and the legs to do this should I be our final swimmer."

The redhead crossed her arms and let her ears lower slightly. "You're really cocky. Hasn't anyone ever told you how annoying a personality like that can be?"

Cerena smirked and stepped forward, tail swaying slowly. "I'm only cocky when I know I can't be proven wrong." She flashed her teeth. "Prove me wrong kitten." Cerena flexed one of her arms then the other.

Toralei scoffed and turned on heel to walk towards the water as Cerena laughed and stepped back.

"Thanks for volunteering to be our first swimmer, T." Cerena called to her back. Her response was a black painted raised middle finger. She shook her head. "Nah. You're not my type." She turned her head to steal a glance to Clawdeen. She muttered something about how she liked curly haired brunnettes.

Clawdeen's ears twitched and her cheeks burned a light shade of red. She smiled shyly and averted her eyes.

Cerena giggled and turned to face Adriana when she blew her whistle.

"Alright! Time is up. Send your starting racer to the water and get set."

* * *

><p>Several shouts and cheers filled the air as the girls each cheered on their teammates out in the water. Clawdeen beamed and watched as Cleo approached the shoreline.<p>

"Come on Cleo! You got this!"

The mummified princess kicked as hard as she could, eventually fluttering and wading onto the beach. As soon as she passed Clawdeen, the werewolf sprinted forward until she was deep enough in the water to begin swimming.

Cerena watched her lupine girlfriend cut through the water. She crossed her arms and smiled proudly. As Clawdeen swam out to the buoy, the hellhound took a moment to gauge the other teams. As the suspected, the red and pink teams saved Lagoona and Sirena as their last swimmers. Her tail flicked as she looked out to the water. Robecca was just returning to the shoreline and passed the task of swimming onto Frankie. Avea had begun swimming at the same Purrsephone and Abbey had. Right now, her team had the lead, but just they could lose it at any time. Uncrossing her arms, she stepped forward and crouched onto her hands and feet as she watched Clawdeen swim around the buoy. Her tail wagged excitedly and her ears perked.

"Go Clawdeen! Show 'em all what you Wolfs can do!"

Clawdeen smiled mentally as she pumped her arms and legs in sync. She was almost to the shoreline. She breathed deeply and ducked under the water, swimming the rest of the way beneath the surface. As soon as she was able, she burst onto the shore and inhaled deeply. She shambled her way towards Cerena. The werewolf coughed slightly and sighed as her breathing gradually regulated. As she walked past Cerena, she patted her shoulder.

Cerena wasted no time. When she felt Clawdeen's hand on her shoulder, she darted forward on her hands and feet. She lunged at the edge of the water and immediately started kicking once her body was fully submerged. She used her tail as something of a rudder as she swam towards the buoy. Her ears remained flat to her head as she cut through the water. She wasn't too sure how far behind the other teams were, but she knew their team was in the lead and she needed to keep it. She swam for a few minutes longer before she finally came to the turning point. She took a mere second to gauge the situation. Her eyebrows raised and she ducked under the water, shooting forward as she kicked off of the buoy. Sirena and Lagoona were both way closer than she had though they were. She clenched her eyes shut and simply focused on swimming. Swimming. Staying ahead. Winning. Her eyes flashed behind closed lids.

_"When you set your mind to doing something, you make sure you're the best at doing it. Understand?"_

_Cerena glanced up to her father, tricolored hues looking up to the tall, muscular hellhound. Normally, Cerena's father was a gigantic, three headed beast, but when he wasn't on duty, he was able to appear as a single headed being not unlike Cerena herself._

_She nodded, tiny tail wagging behind her. _

_"Yes, sir."_

_Cerberus smiled and stepped back, placing a soccer ball on the ground. "Good girl. Now remember, this is the one you can't let in."_

The race was close. Cerena had managed to stay ahead of Lagoona and Sirena. Of course, Sirena had gotten distracted by a group of small fish beneath the water. The ravennette laid on the sand, eyes finally peeking open. Was the sun always that bright? Dark blurs eventually sharpened to look like people. Adriana, the counselors, and her friends stood over her. Bright emerald hues darted and focused on the concerned face of the werewolf. She smiled and pushed up into a sit, hand coming up to push wet bangs from her face.

"Are you alright mate? You were pushing pretty hard." Lagoona knelt down beside her. "I think you were about for a few minutes."

Cerena waved a hand dismissively and shrugged. "I'm fine. Guess I just overexerted myself a little. All I need to do is relax for a bit, that's all."

**'Sorry.' **

She wrapped her tail around her waist and, with the help of Clawdeen and Lagoona, stood. She thanked them and leaned against Clawdeen. She wrapped her arm around her shoulders, thankful she had a reason for being so close to the werewolf.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Draculaura asked as Clawdeen shifted to better support the taller ghoul.

The ravennette nodded and offered a smile. "I'm fine. I promise, girls."

Adriana looked over the hellhound and crossed her arms. "You may be fine, but I would still advise you go check with the camp nurse just in case."

Cerena eyed the older ghoul for a moment before shrugging and nodding. "If you insist, but I would like to take a shower first. I hate the feeling of sand on me for too long."

Adriana nodded and instructed Clawdeen to assist her then turned to the other campers, letting them know that the orange cabin had won the event and that they were dismissed to do as they pleased for now.

Clawdeen turned and walked away from the group with Cerena lightly leaned against her. When they were to their cabin, Clawdeen stood in the doorway as Cerena quickly picked out her outfit and towel. She stepped forward and threw her arms around the hellhound when she turned.

Cerena raised a brow and chuckled, wrapping her free arm around Clawdeen. "I'm fine, Clawdeen. Don't worry."

The brunnette huffed and shrugged, further burying her face into Cerena's neck. "I believe you. Still though." She heard the quiet laugh muffle against her scalp.

"Come on. I'm ready to get this gritty gunk off of me." Her teeth gently grazed Clawdeen's ear before her voice lowered to a playful murmur. "You wanna join me?"

Clawdeen's ears rose and her cheeks burned. She pulled away and stammered. Her blush only deepened when Cerena laughed. She frowned and lightly shoved her girlfriend. "You're clearly feeling better."

Cerena only grinned and wrapped her free arm around Clawdeen's shoulders before leaving the cabin with her.

* * *

><p>Warm water. Steam filled the small stall. Hotter. Cerena turned the heat up slightly and seethed gratefully at the slight sting of the hot water. She ran her fingers through her hair and murmured to herself. She loved the shower. Her tail was guiding a lathered up washcloth along her stomach and legs. She smiled and took the cloth into her hands, guiding it along her upper body. She was clean of sand a long time ago, but the serenity of a good shower was never to be taken for granted. She turned to let the water run down her front. A long sigh followed as the heated liquid poured over her skin. Her eyes opened slightly. She wondered if Clawdeen was still waiting outside for her. Her smile brightened then quickly faded when she felt slender arms coil around her waist. She tensed and lifted her ears when she felt breasts press against her back. Her breathing hitched when she felt sharp nails gingerly skating along her belly. Looking down and seeing caramel colored fingers told her all she needed to know.<p>

"Clawdeen…"

"Shh…"

Cerena grumbled quietly, ears lowering to her head when she felt one of Clawdeen's hands skimming lower. When did the curtain open? Her tail tensed and she seethed quietly when she felt the werewolf's fingers gingerly rubbing against her clit. The sensation of having Clawdeen actually touching her was on a completely different level than when she did it herself. Quiet moans were drowned out beneath the running of the shower water.

Clawdeen's fingers teased lower. The warm tips toyed with neatly trimmed pubic hair. She smiled against Cerena's shoulder when she felt the taller ghoul shudder. Slowly, she pushed her middle finger inside. Cerena's inner walls clenched as soon as Clawdeen began to thrust her hand. She never would have expected the ravennette to be so warm. Her cheeks burned. So wet. So much different than her own. She cooed into her ear, tongue skimming along the membranous area.

The hellhound didn't realize the moment Clawdeen had pressed her against the shower wall. Her nails bit into her palms as her jaw clenched when she felt the werewolf press another finger inside of her. She ground her hips against Clawdeen's palm, back arching as each thrust sent the heel brushing against the sensitive bundle of nerves. She panted quietly, hooded emerald eyes hazing then widening in surprise when she felt Clawdeen's other hand latch onto her breast. When did she get so brazen? Cerena bit her lower lip and released a throaty groan. When did she herself get so submissive? Her eyes rolled back slightly as Clawdeen guided her fingers deeper into her. At this point, she didn't even care. All she wanted was Clawdeen. All she wanted was for Clawdeen to make her-

"Uuuuugh! Stupid idiot. Got sand in my hair and my fur."

Both Clawdeen and Cerena froze. The snarky bite to the annoyed tone told them that the speaker was none other than Toralei. They stood together in complete silence as they heard the werecat complaining to herself. The sound of clothing hitting the floor and the stall beside them turning on reached their ears. Cerena swallowed hard and exhaled shakily when she felt Clawdeen's fingers reluctantly withdrawing from inside of her. She turned to see Clawdeen experimentally wrapping her tongue around the slender digits. She groaned silently, cursing Toralei for ruining the moment and Clawdeen for being so sexy. She reached forward and growled, voice a low murmur in the werewolf's ear.

"You aren't finished…"

She allowed Clawdeen to wriggle away and was met with a knowing grin. The werewolf winked and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a loving kiss before she quickly and silently exited the shower stall.

Cerena pressed her back against the wall and ran her fingers through her soaked hair. Fuck. She wasn't expecting that, but damn was it a welcome surprise. When would she and Clawdeen be able to get so close again? She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, letting a hand rest on her stomach. It slowly skimmed lower, mimicking the werewolf's from earlier. She hoped it was soon. Her fingertips glided along her slick seam. Very. Soon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry for the long update. My laptop was acting up and I couldn't post for a long while. Now that I've got it back though, my updates should be far more frequent. To make up for the wait, I do hope you enjoyed the lemony teaser.)<strong>_


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